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Ants Passed the Mirror Test and It’s Blowing Minds in the Science World

We’ve always thought of ants as tiny, tireless team players — brilliant in groups but simple on their own. But what if we’ve been selling them short all this time?

In a remarkable experiment that’s reshaping how we view insect intelligence, scientists have discovered that ants can recognize themselves in a mirror — a trait once thought to belong only to dolphins, elephants, magpies, and great apes. That’s right — these little creatures may actually possess a sense of self.

Here’s what happened: researchers placed blue dots on the ants’ heads and gave them mirrors. Shockingly, 23 out of 24 ants tried to remove the dot after seeing their reflection — suggesting they realized the dot was on *them*. When no mirror was present, or when the dot blended with their natural color, none reacted. That shows they weren’t just feeling something strange — they were visually recognizing themselves.

This test is known as the “mirror test,” a classic benchmark for self-awareness. Passing it suggests the capacity to mentally separate yourself from others — a basic yet profound form of consciousness.

This finding shakes up long-held beliefs that self-recognition is reserved for so-called “higher” animals. If ants — with brains no bigger than grains of sand — can do this, what else might they (and other insects) be capable of?

The implications are enormous. It not only rewrites what we thought we knew about insect cognition, but it also pushes us to consider deeper questions about intelligence, awareness, and even ethics in how we treat creatures we’ve long ignored.

So next time you see an ant scurrying by, think twice — it might be a lot more self-aware than you ever imagined.
 
When the shopping cart was first introduced in 1937, shoppers absolutely hated it. Men thought pushing a cart made them look weak. Women were put off by how much it resembled a baby carriage. It was one of the most practical inventions of the 20th century, yet it nearly flopped due to social norms and pride. But one man’s determination and clever marketing completely changed how the world shops.

That man was Sylvan Goldman, owner of the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain in Oklahoma. He noticed that shoppers with hand-held baskets would stop shopping once their arms got tired. To keep people buying more, he came up with a simple but revolutionary idea: a metal frame on wheels that held two wire baskets, which he called the "Basket Carriage for Self-Service Stores." It was the birth of the modern shopping cart.

Still, customers were resistant. Men didn’t want to be seen using them, and women felt the design was too similar to a pram. Instead of giving up, Goldman went bold. He hired male and female models to stroll through his stores, confidently using the carts and making it look fashionable. He even trained store greeters to offer carts with a smile and explain how they worked. Slowly but surely, the stigma faded.

The result? The shopping cart caught on like wildfire. Shoppers could now buy more without fatigue, and supermarkets saw a boost in sales. Goldman became a multimillionaire and changed the retail experience forever. Today, it's hard to picture a grocery store without rows of metal carts lined up at the entrance.

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Joan Murray’s skydiving accident in 1999 sounds like something straight out of a survival thriller, but every word of it is true. Jumping from 14,500 feet above North Carolina, the experienced skydiver was performing what should have been a routine dive. But something went horribly wrong. Her main parachute malfunctioned, twisting uncontrollably. She managed to deploy her reserve chute, but it only partially opened, leaving her plummeting towards the ground at nearly 80 miles per hour.
What happened next defied all odds. Joan hit the earth with brutal force... and landed directly on a fire ant mound. These weren’t just any insects. Fire ants are known for their aggressive nature and venomous stings. Over 200 bites were recorded on her body. Strangely enough, those painful stings may have saved her life. Medical experts believe that the fire ant venom caused a surge of adrenaline in Joan’s system, which kept her heart beating and increased her chances of survival after such a catastrophic fall.
She suffered serious injuries: shattered bones, spinal damage, and trauma throughout her body. Joan was put into intensive care and underwent more than 20 reconstructive surgeries. Doctors were amazed at her survival, calling it one of the most extraordinary cases in skydiving history. The role that the fire ants played has since been discussed in medical journals as an example of how the body can react under extreme stress.
Today, Joan Murray’s story remains a testament to human resilience, medical miracles, and nature’s unexpected role in survival. Her fall could have been fatal in any other scenario, but the perfect (and painful) twist of fate gave her a second chance at life.
 
QSis said:
If that mosquito/spoon thing works, everybody needs to know it! When a mosquito stings me, the area around the sting swells up like a huge hive and stays that way for hours.

I will definitely remember this and try it!

Lee
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Mosquitoes don't ever bite me that often.
When I was a kid they sure did.
We used to push a fingernail into it, then the itch would stop.
My Grandma used to put vinegar or Vick's on ours.
 
QSis said:
If that mosquito/spoon thing works, everybody needs to know it! When a mosquito stings me, the area around the sting swells up like a huge hive and stays that way for hours.

I will definitely remember this and try it!

Lee
Click to expand...
I bought a battery operated gizmo that works like the spoon. I keep it on the counter in the RV. We also carry After Bite Xtra. We find it to be one of the few things that really works. Mosquitoes like me...but they love my DH...so I sit by him. :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
 
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